Nuclear Summer
by polykhromatik
Summary: AU: Admiral Helena Cain and Gina venture out and go shopping, and no not for intimate wear . Third story, previous story was Coexistence – see my profile for list of stories.


**I do not own the characters.**

A raptor was traveling in the sunny airspace and suddenly descended into the cloud deck. The raptor began to rock back and forth from the turbulence of the perpetual storms that plagued Tauron since the Cylon attacks. Admiral Helena Cain was navigating the raptor in the turbulent storm. This was her fourth time down the mountain and was accompanied by Gina. Cain hated traveling during any stormy conditions but this was a mild day. So long as it wasn't raining, radiation levels would be lower. Gina tried to relax during the bumpy ride.

"We're almost, there," said Cain as she glanced over at Gina.

She could see Gina's helmet was fogging up and heard her increased breathing. Gina was gripping the armrests and was beginning to feeling nauseous. She wanted to take off her helmet for more air.

They were going to a home improvement stores along a strip mall. The bombs used by the Cylons took lives but left buildings and other infrastructure intact. The first three times, they stocked up on non-perishable foods and supplies. Cain noticed home and gardening stores in the vicinity of the mall.

She and Gina determined that they were going to need seeds and plants to survive. Cain's supplies of survival food would run out by next year. Furthermore, the non-perishable food from the grocery stories was a short-term solution. They already had a greenhouse built and if they had seedlings, they could have sustainable food by next season.

Cain piloted the raptor toward a parking lot and reduced speed. She landed cautiously amid the crosswinds. The overcast sky produced a non-stop wind with occasional gusts. Cain sighed in relief when the raptor touched the ground and thought she heard Gina sighed as well. As soon as they left the raptor, Cain set the timer on her watch. They agreed to be on the ground for a set amount of time.

Cain sighed when she stepped on the waterlogged, parking lot. She was glad she had put on rubber boots over her regular boots. The asphalt had cracks. She recalled that the shopping mall area was fairly new, it was less than two years old and the saturated parking lot was disintegrating.

They were both armed as they entered the garden store. Gina had a crow bar and pried the sliding doors while Cain kept vigilant for any surprises. As they entered the store they put on their night vision goggles. Cain scanned the entranceway and did not see anything that looked out of the ordinary and motioned Gina to follow. Cain placed portable motion detection units near the doorways.

Gina quickly located the shopping carts and they began to shop. They quickly looked for fertilizer, seeds, tools, plant food, and potting soil. The mountain soil was adequate for alpine vegetation; however, it was nutritionally poor for growing fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and green beans.

Each time they filled up a shopping cart they situated them next to the Exit doors and repeated fetching supplies. It was comical and they almost a made sport of it, to break the monotony. Gina told Helena she remembered seeing a television show where a contestant had certain amount of time to shop. All the items he placed in shopping cart would be rushed up to cashier and he would keep those items for free. They both smiled slightly but Cain was always on edge, they were both concerned about the Cylons.

Just as they made a final trip, Gina spoke.

"Wait there is something else I have to get," said Gina, as she spoke in her helmet microphone. "It's important."

"Well, what is it?" asked Cain impatiently. "We don't have time to dally about."

Her mind was on getting the supplies back on the raptor and fly away from the radioactive sky or hellish sky as Cain would call it. Furthermore, she wanted to avoid the rain of ruin. The flight up would be just as bad or if not worst, and she didn't relish the trip. Once free of the cloud deck she would have to land the raptor away from the home and they would have to scrub themselves and the raptor of radioactive particles. All in all a full day's work for a one hour shopping trip. And then another week to go over the maintenance of the raptor thought Cain.

"It's a surprise."

"Look, I don't need anymore surprises, especially coming from you."

"Helena, it's a good surprise and besides it's a light."

"You're idea of light may put us over the weight limit, the raptor has a weight restriction."

"Please, it's just ahead in the shrubs section; it won't take long."

"Alright, but let's be quick about this."

Cain was silent and followed Gina. At the shrubbery section, Gina put her special, night vision lamp on a shelf and inspected some of the small plants. Cain immediately recognized the plants that Gina was looking at. They were small, dormant rose bushes trimmed back in potted containers. Cain was not sure if they had survived. It had been three months since the attacks and anything below the cloud deck was subjected to overcast conditions. Furthermore, the store was practically like a cave. She saw Gina picking up a small bush and examined it closely near the light.

"Girlfrien-Gina, Gina I'm not sure if they can grow at our elevation. The long, cold alpine weather is harsh."

"They can grow indoors in the greenhouse if there's room or in my area. I'll take care of them," said Gina. "I need this."

Cain was quiet. She recalled after shopping for the 3B's (beans, bullets, and bandages) at the last trip they quickly went on a candy run. At the candy aisle, they grabbed all the candy they could shove in huge plastic, garbage bags, especially chocolates. She remembered indulging on chocolates for dinner.

"I really need this," insisted Gina.

"If you do this you'll be responsible. This isn't a simple of matter of throwing seeds on ground and waiting for them to sprout. This will involve care and feeding."

Gina did not respond but held the plant in her hands.

"Gina, pick the best two. I'll show you how to get started."

"Why two?"

"So they can cross-pollinate and I only have enough room for two on my cart."

"Thank You, Helena," whispered Gina.


End file.
